The Founding Fathers of St. Mary’s Abbey: Fr. Nicholas Balleis and Archabbot Boniface Wimmer

 St. Mary’s Abbey owes its foundational origins not solely to the renowned Boniface Wimmer but to an earlier and lesser-known Benedictine pioneer, Fr. Nicholas Balleis, OSB, of the Abbey of St. Peter in Salzburg. Born in 1808 and ordained in 1831, Fr. Nicholas arrived in the U.S. in 1836 with other missionaries, initially working in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In 1838, under the guidance of Msgr. Joseph Raffeiner, he began ministering to German-speaking Catholics in Newark, NJ, then a part of the Diocese of New York. The community’s first Masses were held at St. John’s Church, and by 1842, Fr. Nicholas led the construction of a dedicated church and school—Immaculate Conception—effectively establishing one of New Jersey’s first Catholic schools.
As the German Catholic population grew, Fr. Nicholas relocated the church to High and William Streets. Although construction was fraught with difficulty, including a stalled relocation and financial strain, the church flourished. His ministry, however, faced internal conflict. Parishioners objected to the property deed being in his name and criticized financial opacity and the exclusive use of German in the school. This unrest led to the founding of St. Peter’s Church nearby for dissenting parishioners, and the two parishes shared a cemetery.

Meanwhile, Boniface Wimmer, born in Bavaria in 1809, was charting a distinct path to founding Benedictine monasticism in the U.S. After joining Metten Abbey in 1832, Wimmer developed a strong desire to minister to German immigrants in America and to establish monastic communities. Supported by King Ludwig I’s missionary society, he overcame resistance from his abbot and the Vatican, departing Bavaria in 1846 with 18 companions. Though advised by seasoned missionaries, including Fr. Nicholas, against founding a monastery, Wimmer persisted and ultimately settled in Pennsylvania, establishing St. Vincent Archabbey.

Fr. Nicholas recognized the value of Wimmer’s monastic initiative and requested assistance as Newark’s German Catholic population grew. Wimmer, cautious about urban foundations, hesitated but eventually sent monks in 1849. However, he declined to formally establish a priory in Newark, as he had done elsewhere, likely due to concerns about monastic discipline in a city setting.

Tensions in Newark escalated with the rise of anti-Catholic sentiment during the massive immigration wave between 1830 and 1850. In 1854, a Protestant parade devolved into a violent riot, and St. Mary’s Church was vandalized. Despite these challenges, Fr. Nicholas continued to lead until he requested reassignment. The Redemptorist Fr. Martin Hasslinger temporarily replaced him, but his departure prompted Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley—first bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Newark—to intensify efforts to attract a permanent Benedictine presence.